The Discipline of Family

  • Jeremy Erb
  • May 13, 2007
  • Series: Spiritual Disciplines 2007

Family is a God-ordained institution. Our conduct and participation in family is orchestrated and guided by God's word. Ultimately, God creates and calls us to participation in family as a gift of His grace for our good. Participation in family as a spiritual discipline helps us to grow in our understanding of and ablility in:


1. Submission - as we learn to be under authority we then learn to use authority (Luke 2:41-52)
2. Sacrifice - families force us to deal with our selfishness and learn to live a life of love (John 2:1-12)
3. Service - In family we learn to fulfill our responsibilities as agents of God. (John 19:23-30

While most of us have eperienced at least some level of dysfunction in our family units, often leaving wounds and emotional scars, Jesus expands the intstitution to include all people who hear the word of God and do it. In other words, the church - the body of Christ - is to function as family. Our participation in church then, offers us a place to not only heal, but to continue to grow in the disciplines of family, learning submission, sacrifice, and service.